Last season was nothing short of a silver bust in local waters but hot on the heels of a pink salmon run is a very solid showing of chunky coho salmon! With the Everett Coho Derby looming in a little more than a week, let's brush up on some silver slaying strategies! Robbie Tobeck gets…
After visiting the Nootka Sound Resort in late April on our "scouting mission" the prospect of fishing my own boat out of this incredible facility on the west coast of Vancouver Island had me counting the days until I could return. I was not disappointed. Unlike all our other fishing trips where we fend for ourselves…
Are you tired of wondering if you still have bait after every microscopic bite or even worse, losing fish after fish because your may have selected the wrong bait hook. Check out these hook designs for a little help on selecting the correct bait hook the next time you go fishing. Circle Hook Circle hooks…
One of my favorite regional salmon fishing opportunities is our local summer chinook season. The Marine Area 9 & 10 selective harvest opportunity dates back to 2007 when, after several years of closures, the north central Sound again got to fish for summer kings. “I hope anglers remember how we got here” states Tony Floor,…
BY JOHN WHITLATCH. It all started with an unexpected phone call about 18 yrs ago. I had just graduated from high school and was struggling to become a professional fishing guide. The summer days were growing long and warm when my neighbor and long time family friend Randy Bovy called. He wanted to take his…
It's been said by wiser men that I that "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity". Well, the Marine Area 7/ San Juan Island opener is surely an opportunity and all the fishing we've been doing up north definitely counts as preparation. Bolstered by our experience in southeast Alaska and the reports coming from Nootka and points south, the…
The June first river opener on several area streams has been marked on many an anglers schedule for many a day. Why??? Most Puget Sound rivers closed on February 28th -if not earlier- so to the opportunistic angler paying close attention might observe that the salmon and steelhead have been unmolested for at least three…
BY RAY GOMBISKI. Smoking fish and game has forever been a pastime of the American sportsman. Smoking can be traced thorough out American history from the Native Americans to George Washington’s home at Mt Vernon. Today, smoking has become a cherished part of the outdoor experience. The modern smokehouse has made smoking easy and efficient…
By Tony Floor What is it about big salmon? I mean big salmon in the 25-50 pound class that brings an angler to the pinnicle of happiness. As reported in this column, I’ve invested around a half century chasing chinook and coho salmon in Pacific Northwest waters, not including Vancouver Island and SE Alaska. I…
March. Schizophrenic as an ax murderer with a side job as an ER Doctor. One day you’re basking in spring-like temps, flat calm waters and the next you’re trying to catch your hat before it blows off your head as the wind knocks foam off of the whitecaps. So, when we saw a window in…